January 1947

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The following events occurred in January 1947:

January 1, 1947 (Wednesday)

January 2, 1947 (Thursday)

January 3, 1947 (Friday)

  • The 80th United States Congress first met. Proceedings of Congress were televised for the first time when cameras were allowed into the House Chamber to broadcast the opening address of House Speaker Joe Martin.[2]
  • Died: Al Herpin, 84?, notable American insomniac known as "The Man Who Never Slept"

January 4, 1947 (Saturday)

January 5, 1947 (Sunday)

January 6, 1947 (Monday)

  • US President Harry S. Truman gave the State of the Union address, telling the new Republican-dominated Congress that they would have to work with him for the common good.[5] It was the first State of the Union address to be televised live.[6]
  • 5,000 London truck drivers suddenly went out on strike, demanding a 44-hour work week and pay raises.[7] The number of strikers would rise to 50,000 over the next ten days as more transportation workers and sympathy strikers would join the work stoppage.[8]
  • British Army Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery arrived in Moscow for a five-day visit to the Soviet Union. Montgomery told Soviet radio that the purpose of his visit was to "establish friendly contact with the Soviet Army and I hope that from that friendly contact there may develop and grow a mutual understanding, a mutual confidence, a happy relationship between our two armies which will be for the mutual benefit of us all."[9]
  • Born: Sandy Denny, folk rock singer and songwriter, in Merton Park, London, England (d. 1978)

January 7, 1947 (Tuesday)

January 8, 1947 (Wednesday)

January 9, 1947 (Thursday)

January 10, 1947 (Friday)

January 11, 1947 (Saturday)

January 12, 1947 (Sunday)

  • Jewish insurgency in Mandatory Palestine: a Stern Gang member drove a truck full of explosives into the central police station compound in Haifa and detonated it, killing 5 and wounding 140.[1]
  • With the London transportation strike almost a week old, the British government called on the military to drive trucks supplying the city with food starting the next morning.[16]
  • Died: Zdenko Blažeković, 31, Croatian fascist politician (executed)

January 13, 1947 (Monday)

January 14, 1947 (Tuesday)

  • The USSR and Norway signed a two-year renewable trade treaty as Moscow denounced the 1920 Svalbard Treaty giving Norway sovereignty over the Spitzbergen islands. TASS claimed that the Svalbard Treaty had been signed without Russia's knowledge and in disregard of Soviet interests.[15]
  • Over 2,000 London dock workers voted to walk off the job in sympathy with the striking transport workers.[17]
  • The Western film California starring Ray Milland, Barbara Stanwyck and Barry Fitzgerald premiered in New York City.
  • Born: Stuart Baird, film editor and director, in England; Bill Werbeniuk, professional snooker player, in Winnipeg, Canada (d. 2003)
  • Died: Bill Hewitt, 37, American football player (car accident)

January 15, 1947 (Wednesday)

January 16, 1947 (Thursday)

January 17, 1947 (Friday)

  • The day after taking office, new French President Auriol selected Paul Ramadier to form the next government to replace Léon Blum, who was stepping down for health reasons.[19]
  • In Muiden, Netherlands, a truck loaded with 150-pound (68 kg) German shells exploded, killing 14 Dutch soldiers and two civilians.[20]
  • Born: Sachio Kinugasa, former Japanese professional baseball player (Hiroshima Carp), played in a world record 2,215 consecutive professional baseball games from 1970 to 1987, in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto (d. 2018)[citation needed]

January 18, 1947 (Saturday)

January 19, 1947 (Sunday)

January 20, 1947 (Monday)

  • Britain's Labour Government issued a White Paper urging workers to increase production without demanding higher wages in return in order to spare Britain from an "extremely serious" economic situation.[23]
  • Alcide De Gasperi resigned as Prime Minister of Italy after admitting inability to handle the present political situation.[24]
  • Died: Josh Gibson, 35, American Negro league baseball player and 1972 inductee to the Hall of Fame (stroke); Andrew Volstead, 86, American politician associated with the Volstead Act which established prohibition in the United States

January 21, 1947 (Tuesday)

January 22, 1947 (Wednesday)

January 23, 1947 (Thursday)

January 24, 1947 (Friday)

January 25, 1947 (Saturday)

January 26, 1947 (Sunday)

January 27, 1947 (Monday)

January 28, 1947 (Tuesday)

  • Prime Minister Attlee presented a plan for Burmese independence to Parliament, calling for the election of a Constituent Assembly in April and an interim government "conducted generally in the same manner as the Interim Government of India at the present time."[33]
  • The US State Department accused the Polish government of failing to carry out free elections as required in the Yalta and Potsdam agreements.[19]
  • The short story collection Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener was published.

January 29, 1947 (Wednesday)

January 30, 1947 (Thursday)

January 31, 1947 (Friday)

  • British High Commissioner for Palestine Lt. General Alan Cunningham ordered all "non-essential" British civilians to evacuate the province.[1][11] It was officially announced that all wives and children of officers in Palestine who were British subjects would be evacuated by February 4 "so military operations in Palestine will not be hampered."[39]
  • Aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4) is sold for scrap
  • Born: Nolan Ryan, baseball player, in Refugio, Texas

References